I Could Kick Myself
I'm disappointed with my results so far this year. Have you ever stopped to evaluate your efforts and confirmed what you already suspected? Your results just aren't where you had thought, or hoped, they would be. You aren't alone. Virtually every single person I know, and every single person you know, has come up short at one time or another. Including you and me.
The reason you're disappointed in your results is almost certainly because your efforts were disappointing, when you stop to evaluate them. Instead of calling on 10 new prospects, you may have called on only five. Instead of asking your "best" current customers for new business, you may have just accepted their orders, thanked them, and gone on your way. Instead of planning an important call, maybe your just winged it - and let a possible sale get away from you.
The reason you're disappointed in your efforts is most likely not because you didn't know what to do. It's probably because you quit doing the things you did in the past that led to your success.
you just kick yourself?
Why you quit doing those things is really not important, so don't waste your time trying to figure out the reasons. What difference does it make if you quit doing the things that made you successful because you got complacent with your success, you let other priorities get in your way, or you just plain got tired?
Identifying those things and doing them again is what's really important. The reasons you quit may come up during the process, and that may be helpful, but do not intellectualize the problem and think it to death. Take action!
What are the things you did that made you successful back then?
- When you were truly excited about your career?
- When you couldn't go to bed until you knew what your plan was for the next day?
- When you woke up fired up?
- When you refused to call it quits for the day until you made just one more call?
- When you had a real sales plan for each call you made?
- When you never left a current or a new prospect until you asked him to take an action that moved the sales process forward?
Don't you wish you could wave a magic wand and rekindle that fire in your belly? Talk yourself into feeling the passion that drove you to consistently do the things that worked day after day? There is no magic wand and, sadly, most people simply can't think themselves into a positive way of acting. However, it is a fact that . . .
You can act your way into a positive way of thinking! If you will simply:
- Make a list of those things that used to make you successful
- Pick one or two and force yourself to do them every day
- Pick one or two more and force yourself to do them, too
You will create more positive ways of thinking within yourself, which will affect the way you feel about yourself, and your feelings will direct you to further actions that increase your success!
Mike Stewart, Certified Speaking Professional, Registered Corporate Coach and author of Close More Sales!
www.mikestewartseminars.com
Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.
